Hotline tackles homophobia

It is hoped the hotline will boost gay confidence in the police

Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender communities in Berkshire will soon have a telephone hotline dedicated to tackling homophobia.

A special switchboard has been jointly set up by the police, Gay-Lo Pages - a national directory inquiries service for gays and lesbians - and the Community Safety Partnerships in Bracknell, Windsor and Maidenhead.

Callers will be able to ask for advice on their health and rights, and will also be able to report homophobic crimes.

It is hoped the project will see a rise in the reporting of homophobic incidents, which in turn will give police valuable knowledge about problem areas in the Thames Forest policing district.

The switchboard will be based at the Gay-Lo Pages offices in Windsor.

'Homophobia in housing'

John Hoggett, a gay activist from Berkshire, said: "I think this is an excellant initiative.

"At present homophobia in the church is a very hot issue in Reading.

"I am not a churchgoing Christian but I know that for those lesbians and gays who are the Christian church is a very difficult place to be.

"There is also homophobia in housing - I know someone who was in a shared house who was asked to leave by some new tenants becasue he was gay."

Stef Russo, Thames Forest police community relations officer, said: "I think the switchboard is the first project in the UK to be entirely sponsored by the police and local authorities and it is very exciting to be involved.

"We hope that the operators, who are trained volunteers, will not only provide information and act as a third-party reporting centre, but will help to increase confidence in the service offered by the police, council and other authorities.

"We realise these communities may mistrust some of these groups at the moment."